Juno Eclipse - TAC - Basic (08 15)

Character Profile

Species

Human

Status

Imperial pilot

Weapon of Choice

Blaster

Characteristic

Finds her loyalties shifting from the Empire to the Apprentice

Juno Eclipse is the Imperial captain of the Rogue Shadow. She is appointed by Darth Vader to pilot his Secret Apprentice throughout the galaxy. Haunted by a tragic past, Eclipse continues to serve the Empire loyally while secretly yearning for a new life.

The second 2008 wave of the 30 (77-07) line was a cast of seven severely overdue figures intended for 2007 release originally that were based on the unreleased The Force Unleashed video game (at the time - it has seen ultimate release). One of these figures was Juno Eclipse (a name that originally reserved for Asajj Ventress), a female Imperial Officer. For trivia lovers out there, Juno Eclipse shares a unique trait with another figure in the 30 (77-07) line, specifically the Airborne Trooper. They both started as a repaint before their basic carded release was made available and are affectionately coined "prepaints." While the Airborne Trooper first saw release as a purple Clone Commander in 2006's TSC Mace Windu's Attack Battalion TARGET exclusive Battle Packs set and Juno Eclipse was first released as Deena Shan in 2007's TAC Lieutenant Jundland/Deena Shan (No. 14)Comic Packs set. (Interestingly, Hasbro released the Deena Shan figure with a running change head variant, so that version is not the prepaint.) It's very rare for a figure to first show up in a multipack before its basic carded release. But these two figures are clearly exceptions to the rule. Juno Eclipse excited many collectors. We wanted a female Imperial officer for years and she remains one of Hasbro's crowing achievements. There is little if anything to complain about her and she is one of the best figures in the wave.

Juno Eclipse is an all-new figure loaded with 14 points of articulation of which many are ball-joints. Lean and muscular, stealthy and feminine, Juno Eclipse is the perfect female Imperial officer. And she is perfect for almost every reason. Beautiful, athletic, serious and professional, Juno Eclipse is about as fine as we are ever going to see for a female officer. And we will expect that this will be the template going forward (and deservedly so). If only we could be so lucky to get a male body done as well it would make us thrilled. (Editor's Note: Captain Needa (BD 40) was pretty great, but we still think it has a way to go before becoming perfect.) Outfitted in a sleek black Imperial uniform, the outfit is enhanced by including the option of a removable cap that fits like a glove on her head. While not a dead ringer for her video game character, Juno Eclipse is indeed easy on collector's eyes. Designed with large blue peepers, her portrait is designed in a way to give the collector the impression that there is quite a bit of longing captured in her face or a sense of discontent. And you can't help but feel empathy for her. Obviously Hasbro did a great job in capturing this subtle urgency in her face. But she can also be posed with graceful attitude thanks to her super-articulated status. Coming with a personalized action figure stand, she attached to its base very well and it is a great pack-in for this figure.

The Force Unleashed video game has introduced Star Wars collectors to a whole new group of characters and most have been warmly welcomed by most. Of course the sexy female characters will tend to get all the attention (for the most part) but Juno Eclipse was sadly a bit of a peg warmer. She eventually sold through, but she wasn't a hot commodity like all the other figures in the wave. What we can tell you however is that Juno Eclipse is an expertly crafted action figure loaded with articulation and a very good portrait (even if it's not totally accurate). She looks great posed next to your Starkiller action figure. And she looks great posed with all the other figures that came with her in The Force Unleashed wave. As a group, they are one of the most impressive groups of action figures and they all scintillate the basic figure line and stand out from among the rest. Juno Eclipse is one of the best from this group and we believe you will agree too. We can't wait for what the future holds for more The Force Unleashed action figures.